The pleasing masterpiece in the rulings of the gift and the present

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Fuwayzan Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions collectively. To proceed: Among the virtues of the Islamic religion is the legitimacy of kindness with wealth and the encouragement to do so. It is a gift, a present, or a charity given to one's brother, and it is known that what results from this—by a Muslim's giving—brings great reward and significant benefits. I have seen fit to compile what is accessible to me of the most important jurisprudential issues related to the gift and the present, given that gifts and presents are among the charitable contracts that are never absent from any time or place, although their frequency varies according to wealth, love of giving, and generosity, as well as their opposites, which differ across times, circumstances, and individuals distinctly. The origin of this book was jurisprudential issues derived from the hadiths of the chapter "Gifts" from the book "Bulugh al-Maram," during the explanation of this book for students. Then I left it and gradually added more over a period exceeding ten years. These issues—about which I will speak—are scattered across the books of hadith and jurisprudence, and people need to know the related Islamic rulings so that Muslims are aware of their matters concerning what they give, gift, or are gifted, or what is given or gifted to them. I did not intend to encompass all issues, but I spoke about what I saw as important and necessary—according to my view. Although the meanings of gift and present are close—as will come insha'Allah—and distinguishing between them is difficult, and the addition of the present to the gift is like the specific to the general, I dedicated separate sections for each, in line with most of the authentic texts and in agreement with some jurists' mention of issues related to gifts and issues related to presents, and in accordance with common practice where people usually distinguish between them, and as a reference to what some scholars—such as Al-Nawawi and Al-Aini—have pointed out regarding the differences between them. I divided the discussion of these issues into: 1. An introduction, including definitions of gift and present, and the difference between them. 2. Two chapters: - The first chapter: on the rulings of the gift, containing twenty-four issues. - The second chapter: on the rulings of the present, containing thirty-five issues. 3. A conclusion, summarizing the most important results I have reached. I named this research: "Al-Tuhfa Al-Mardhiyya fi Ahkam Al-Hiba wal-Hadiyya" (The Satisfactory Gift in the Rulings of Gifts and Presents). And I ask Allah to grant me success in speech and action, and to benefit from these issues. From what I have written, reviewed, and the last of our supplications is praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Written by: Abd Allah ibn Salih Al-Fuwayzan, on 18/5/1437 AH